County Genealogical Society seeks members

By Caroline Rosacker

In 1982, local historians who had been assisting the Clayton County Clerk of Court's office and Elkader Public Library with an increase in genealogy and local history requests, formed the Clayton County Genealogical Society (CCGS), a non-profit organization of volunteer members assisting individuals in beginning, developing and improving genealogical pursuits and endeavors through literary and educational means. The group met in local libraries, churches and other historical places, and the Elkader Public Library housed the materials for public access. 

In 2015 the Genealogical Society purchased a building using money bequeathed from the estate of Oakland and Irene Becker. "It was the Becker's wish to have a building to house CCGS books and be open to the public," said Diana Cherne-Kirby, vice-president of the Clayton County Genealogical Society. 

The Becker Center

The Becker Center, located at 119 Main Street in Elkader, is open each Thursday from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m., and by appointment. "The Elkader Public Library has moved the bulk of their genealogy collection to the Becker Center, and generous individuals, from all walks of life, have shared their work with our organization. We have nine board members and 100 members. We would like to increase our membership so we can have the center open several days a week," said Cherne-Kirby.  

Phyllis Noack-Owings, CCGS secretary, and Cherne-Kirby have been with the organization for the past five years. "The work is very gratifying and people are appreciative," said Noack-Owings. "I opened on a Sunday and assisted a genealogist who had travel three hours to utilize our resources. He was very impressed with our collection and grateful we were accommodating." 

Cherne-Kirby became interested in genealogy after her sister, who had started tracing the family lineage in 1960, became tired of the project. "My sister began her research after our Grandfather Cherne passed away," shared Cherne-Kirby. "We had all his immigration papers from Yugoslavia, which was Austria back then. She grew tired of the project in 1980, and I took over. I was in the military at the time and would work on the project for a while when I returned home, and then put it back on the shelf. I found a German atlas and located where he grew up and visited the area."  

Noack-Owings found her inspiration from her mother, Ruth Noack. "My mother was one of the founding members of CCGS,” she noted. I became interested when she was no longer able to attend meetings. I was retired and looking for something to do."

The CCGS collection includes:

Basic Clayton County history mid-1800s to present

Family history books (270+)

Clayton County high school yearbooks

Clayton County Country Schools, 21 out of 22 townships, published by CCGS

Church and Iowa histories

Civil War books (740+) and magazines of Iowa veterans, especially Clayton County 21st Regiment and pensions

Family and miscellaneous scrapbooks

Family photos collections 

Farm directory and plat maps 1900-2016 

Clayton County Assessor books 1940 - 1990

Clayton County newspapers available online

"We encourage people to donate family histories and old photographs, but not old country school text books or school books," Noack-Owings stressed. "We are not a museum that collects artifacts. We would like to complete our collection of school year books from surrounding counties. Our Elkader and Monona collections are the most complete, but we have many years missing from other school districts." 

"We are also in need of plat books, especially from 1940 through 1970," Cherne-Kirby added. "Plat books are an excellent way to track a person's history. For instance, if you think your grandfather owned something in Highland Township we can look through the plat maps and find out what they owned. They usually owned much more than the family thinks. We would also welcome any historical information that applies to Buena Vista – old school photos, human interest stories and family history would be a nice addition to our collection."

"Our materials are organized by subject and are restricted to what we are willing to check out," noted Cherne-Kirby. "We encourage people to join our organization – whether you are interested in genealogy or not. It does not have to be your passion. We are losing our older members and need to recruit younger individuals."

We give a huge amount of credit to the founding members of this organization," commented Noack-Owings. "They were all significant in bringing this Society to fruition. There are so many individuals who made an impact it is difficult to name just one. The founding members were eager and hardworking. They put together the 1984 History of Clayton County, Iowa Country Schools in a short amount of time and sold it as a fund-raiser." 

"Our collection is not currently online, but we have plans to set up a website," explained Cherne-Kirby. "We need volunteers to help us set up our website, and help with computer-related issues. There is a job for everyone."

For additional information, or if you would like to become a member, call 563-245-1065 or email ccgs@alpinecom.net or find them on Facebook.